U.S. Strikes · Iraq
U.S. Strikes in Iraq
UCDP records 2 events in Iraq from January 20, 2009 through August 31, 2026 in which the U.S. government is a named side, with a best estimate of 10 deaths (UCDP range 9 to 11). By administration: Obama 0; Trump (First Term) 0; Biden 1; Trump (Second Term) 1 events. 9 official releases on named operations and major strike days are listed below.
By Administration
| Administration | Dates | UCDP Events | Deaths, Best | Low | High | Of Which Preliminary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obama | January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trump (First Term) | January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Biden | January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Trump (Second Term) | January 20, 2025 to present | 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
By Year
- Obama
- Trump (First Term)
- Biden
- Trump (Second Term)
Named Operations and Major Strike Days
From official U.S. government releases; targets are given as each release describes them. Select a column heading to sort.
| Date | Administration | Operation or Strike Day | Targets as Officially Described | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 7, 2014 | Obama | Airstrikes authorized near Erbil | Targeted airstrikes authorized against ISIL forces to protect Americans in Erbil and to lift the siege of Yezidis. | Department of Defense |
| December 29, 2019 | Trump (First Term) | Strikes on five Kata'ib Hizballah facilities | Five Kata'ib Hizballah facilities, three in Iraq and two in Syria: weapon storage facilities and command-and-control locations. Kata'ib Hezbollah | Department of Defense (via CENTCOM) |
| January 2, 2020 | Trump (First Term) | Strike on Qasem Soleimani | Qasem Soleimani, head of the IRGC Qods Force; the Department of Defense statement describes the strike as defensive action. | Department of Defense (State Department archive) |
| March 12, 2020 | Trump (First Term) | Strikes on Kata'ib Hizballah weapons sites | Five Kata'ib Hizballah weapon storage facilities across Iraq, after the attack on Camp Taji. Kata'ib Hezbollah | Department of Defense |
| June 27, 2021 | Biden | Strikes in the Iraq-Syria border region | Operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one in Iraq used by Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada. Kata'ib Hezbollah Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada | Department of Defense |
| January 23, 2024 | Biden | Strikes on three facilities | Three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq. Kata'ib Hezbollah | Department of Defense |
| February 2, 2024 | Biden | Response to the attack in northeastern Jordan | Seven facilities with more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria that the IRGC and affiliated militias use to attack U.S. forces. | Department of Defense |
| February 7, 2024 | Biden | Strike on a Kataib Hezbollah commander | A Kataib Hezbollah commander described as responsible for planning and taking part in attacks on U.S. forces. Kata'ib Hezbollah | Department of Defense |
| July 28, 2026 | Trump (Second Term) | U.S. and Saudi strikes in eastern Iraq | Logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq of Iran-aligned groups CENTCOM says the IRGC directed to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. | U.S. Central Command |
By UCDP Dyad
| UCDP Dyad | Events | Deaths, Best | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government of Iran - Government of Israel, Government of United States of America | 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Government of United Kingdom, Government of United States of America - Government of Yemen (North Yemen) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
UCDP Events
Newest first. Select a column heading to sort. Source: UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset version 26.1 (through December 31, 2025) and UCDP Candidate Events Dataset versions 26.0.1 to 26.0.8 (preliminary, through August 31, 2026), CC BY 4.0.
| Date | Administration | UCDP Dyad | Place | Best | Low | High | Dataset | UCDP ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 28, 2026 | Trump (Second Term) | Government of Iran - Government of Israel, Government of United States of America | Not given | 8 | 8 | 8 | Candidate 26.0.2 Preliminary | 620473 |
| April 20, 2024 | Biden | Government of United Kingdom, Government of United States of America - Government of Yemen (North Yemen) | Kalsu military base, located some 50km (31 miles) south of the capital Baghdad in the province of Babil (Babylon). | 2 | 1 | 3 | GED 26.1 | 521094 |
How the UCDP Counts Work
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) codes an event as an incident in which armed force by an organized actor against another organized actor, or against civilians, results in at least one direct death at a specific place and date. Each event belongs to a dyad: two sides, each a government or an organized group. These pages count every event dated on or after January 20, 2009 in Iraq, Syria or Yemen whose side A or side B names "Government of United States of America", alone or inside a joint side such as "Government of United Kingdom, Government of United States of America".
UCDP names the U.S. side only when U.S. forces are a primary party to the dyad. In the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, UCDP codes the Iraqi or Syrian government, or a local partner force, as the primary party and the U.S.-led coalition as a secondary supporting party; UCDP event rows carry primary sides only, so coalition strikes in that campaign appear in UCDP under the partner's dyad and are counted here only when UCDP names the U.S. directly. The list of operations and strike days from U.S. government releases covers that gap with the official record.
When U.S. forces act together with another state, UCDP records one joint side; an event in such a dyad (for example, U.S. and U.K. strikes on the Sanaa authorities, which UCDP labels "Government of Yemen (North Yemen)", or the 2026 dyads that join the U.S. and Israel) is counted once here and cannot be split between the partners. Some joint-side events are attacks on the U.S. side by the other party rather than U.S. strikes; the UCDP dyad column shows which pairing each row belongs to.
Fatalities. "Best" is the UCDP best estimate of direct deaths in the event, across all sides and civilians. "Low" and "High" are the UCDP low and high estimates. Totals add the per-event figures.
Datasets. UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset version 26.1 covers events through December 31, 2025. Later events come from the monthly UCDP Candidate Events Dataset (versions 26.0.1 to 26.0.8, through August 31, 2026); these are preliminary and UCDP may revise or drop them. The pages use Candidate rows UCDP has coded "Clear", one row per UCDP event ID, taking the latest monthly version. Counts are rebuilt from the UCDP files when they change.
Administrations. Events are assigned by start date, with each administration running from its inauguration (January 20, 2009; January 20, 2017; January 20, 2021; January 20, 2025) to the next.
Operations list. Each row gives the date, the name or description the release uses, the targets in the release's own terms, and a link to the Department of Defense, U.S. Central Command or White House release. Group links appear only where the release names the group.
Citation: Middle East Forum, Shia Militia Tracker, U.S. Strikes, accessed October 13, 2026, https://militias.meforum.org/strikes/. See also Data sources and method.